Beauty tips using Vinegar

Vinegar is a cheap and inexpensive way to achieve beautiful skin and hair.

Beauty in a vinegar bottle

Otherwise known as sour wine, vinegar is an acidic acid produced by the oxidation of ethanol and has been used as part of the beauty regime of women in particular, for many centuries. It has also been commonly used for its medicinal benefits such as the clearing of skin problems which includes itchiness dryness, flaking and acne and for helping to restore the Ph balance or natural acidity of the skin.

Beauty products can be extremely expensive with high prices paid unnecessarily, because there are numerous homemade products which can simply be made with vinegar that are equally effective.

One of its commonest use is the clearing of age spots. By mixing equal parts of orange juice and vinegar over a sustained period of time it is reputed to fade the spots by gradually lightening the skin. If vinegar and water is mixed in equal parts it can be an effective cleanser, skin toner and astringent and when an aspirin is added to the solution it can be used to treat acne. The acidic content in vinegar also works in a similar way as Alpha hydroxy, by helping to dissolve old flaky skin cells and fatty substances in the skin, leaving it soft and smooth.

The healing process can be accelerated by mixing honey, wheat flour and vinegar, which when applied overnight to pimples and breakouts have good results. Excellent for healing chapped hands when mixed with hand lotion and when finger nails are soaked in vinegar for a few minutes before applying nail polish, it helps the polish to better adhere to the nails.

Using it on the hair can also be beneficial. It is a great conditioner which not only improves cleanliness but also adds shine when one teaspoon of vinegar is aded to water during the final rinse. Dandruff can also be effectively treated and controlled by massaging undiluted vinegar into the scalp before shampooing. For those who colour their hair, using a diluted mix of cold water and white vinegar in the final rinse, serves to seal in the colour, thus extending the life of the colour. Finally, for those who are balding or growing thin, regularly massaging vinegar in the scalp can help to stimulate growth and thicken the hair.

Whilst vinegar can offer many inexpensive beauty solutions it is by no means the only common kitchen item capable of doing so. The kitchen cupboard hold a treasure trove and is therefore a great place to start. Items such as cane sugar and yoghurt blended and used as an exfoliating facial scrub, cucumber and potatoes used to remove dark circles from around the eyes, to name a couple, however the list goes on.